OnePlus 8 may be sold by Verizon with 5G support

The next smartphone from OnePlus may be sold by the nation’s largest wireless carrier. According to a report from Android Police, the OnePlus 8 will be available to buy from Verizon Wireless when it launches later this year. In addition, the same report claims the phone will have 5G hardware on board.

If the publication’s sources are correct, this would be the first time that a OnePlus phone would be sold directly by Verizon. Previous unlocked OnePlus handsets have supported Verizon’s 4G network. If the OnePlus 8 on Verizon does have 5G support, it will likely work on the carrier’s high-band millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, which are currently available in parts of 31 US cities.

Android Police states that the OnePlus 8 model sold by Verizon will be the standard version. It apparently won’t be the larger OnePlus 8 Pro handset. The report also suggests the OnePlus 8 will be pre-loaded with Verizon’s standard apps and features, including support for Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE.

T-Mobile was the first US carrier to sell a OnePlus phone when it began offering the OnePlus 6T for sale in late 2018. Having Verizon on board will certainly bring the company to a new and much larger audience. Furthermore, OnePlus phones tend to offer flagship features at a cost that are lower than its competitors. Even in this age of monthly payments for such phones, it’s possible Verizon’s customers could be attracted to lowering their monthly bill while still getting the high-end features they want.

Hopefully, we will learn more about this OnePlus-Verizon alliance in the coming months. In the meantime, if you are a Verizon Wireless customer, would you upgrade your phone to a OnePlus 8 when it becomes available?